Assignment task: Many Americans in the nineteenth believed that the United States was a land of opportunity, and this belief was especially strong during the era of the market revolution. Based on the evidence found in the documents, do you agree that the United States was a land of opportunity for working-class people in the Northern states? What were some of the benefits and drawbacks of living and working in America, according to the documents?
In your essay, consider issues of labor, income, and quality of life, as well as ideas such as freedom and equality. Pay attention, also, to the particular challenges and opportunities facing groups such as immigrants, free blacks, and women. Did some groups find more opportunities, or face more difficulties, than others?